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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24830971">The Lion, the Witch and the Mothman</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Semerra/pseuds/Semerra'>Semerra</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Voltron: Legendary Defender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, Cryptid Hunter Keith (Voltron), M/M, Smut, Two Shot, Witch Lance (Voltron), i'll add the dirty tags when that chapter is uploaded, smut will be in the second chapter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 04:33:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,338</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24830971</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Semerra/pseuds/Semerra</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Keith is cyrptid hunting in the middle of the night with Hunk and Pidge when he notices something strange in the distance - and finds something stranger when he investigates.</p>
<p>Lance is a witch conducting a water blessing in the woods when he feels like he is not alone.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Keith/Lance (Voltron)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Lion, the Witch and the Mothman</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Please don't hurt me okay? I'll update when I can! I PROMISE!</p>
<p>SO the water blessing ritual that Lance does is an actual ritual that I made a few tweaks to, but is still how the ritual can be conducted. I added a few not-real-but-still-witchy parts just for the sake of the story but work with me. Let me know if you want me to continue!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Keith, are you sure we should be here? I’m pretty sure I’ve seen at least four signs that say no trespassing and do you know what we are doing right now? </span>
  <em>
    <span>TRESPASSING!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I looked back at the large Samoan man, turning to shine the beam of my flashlight at him. Hunk was looking around frantically, clutching his own light in a </span>
  <span>white-knuckle</span>
  <span> grip and visibly shaking in his hiking boots, “Hunk, I’ve been here more times than I can count and have never been caught. Besides, those signs are like eighty years old and are more of a suggestion than anything else.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The other man just looked back at me with wide eyes, panic still completely evident in his gaze, “Yeah, that doesn’t make me feel any better about this. What if this is the time we do get caught? What if these grounds have some creepy one-eyed care taker that just walks around looking for trespassers and when he finds them he knocks them out and takes them back to his secluded cabin and slowly tortures them until they slip slowly into madness?! What if Keith? </span>
  <em>
    <span>WHAT IF?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I just sighed and took a step closer to the man, reaching out and placing a hand on his large shoulder, “Hunk, calm down man. There is no caretaker on these grounds, or I would have seen him at some point in time. No one is gonna catch us and torture us, I promise</span>
  <span>.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hunks face had only begun to relax slightly when the sound of a twig snapping came from behind him, making him tense once again and swing around and point his flashlight in the direction of the sound. “K-KEITH. You h-</span>
  <span>heard</span>
  <span> that right?? You just said </span>
  <span>there</span>
  <span> w-wasn’t a caretaker!”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I removed my hand from his shoulder and shone my light in the same area, scanning the trees and trying to catch a glimpse of anything that could have caused the noise. Another twig snapped to the left and we both turned our flashlight to the sound, “Maybe it’s just an animal or something? A raccoon or something? I’ve seen a few of them the times I’m here so it’s a possibility.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Y-Yeah, a raccoon! A completely…harmless, non-rabid, cuddly raccoon that surely won’t try and bite our faces off if we get to close and</span>
  <span>— “</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hunk stopped short when the beam of the flashlight suddenly glinted off something, revealing two large, round eyes staring back at us from within the darkness of the trees. We both froze in our spots, neither of us daring to move first while in sight of whatever was staring back. Whatever it was wasn’t that tall, or whatever the light was reflecting off wasn’t the creature</span>
  <span>’</span>
  <span>s eyes</span>
  <span> and it was actually huge, and if that’s the case, maybe this was one of the </span>
  <span>cryptid’s</span>
  <span> rumored to be around this area...</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“K-KEITH! It moved! I don’t know where it went!</span>
  <span>”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I had spaced out long enough for the creature to duck out of view and away from us and soon the leaves were rustling on the trees and bushes all around us, making it difficult to pin point the </span>
  <span>creature's</span>
  <span> new location. The wind had turned absolutely crazy out of nowhere, making Hunk and I brace ourselves and clutch tightly onto our packs. “What in the world is going on Keith?? Where did all this wind come from?!”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I opened my mouth to answer, but all I got was a mouth full of violent wind and bits of dirt that had been stirred up, making me cough and double over to try and spit out what ever had been blown down my windpipe. This wind was completely unnatural and had only started after we saw the cryptid – it had to be linked in some way</span>
  <span>, and this would make amazing evidence for—</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“AHHHGHH!”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Something suddenly ran out of the bushes next to us, letting out a </span>
  <span>high-pitched</span>
  <span> shriek that was quickly drowned out by Hunks own yelling. We had both dropped our flashlights out of shock, and Hunk had wrapped his arms around my body and brought me to the ground with him as he attempted to curl himself into a ball in fear, still yelling and chanting, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>WE’RE GONNA DIE, THIS HIS HOW IT ALL ENDS, I DIDN’T GET A CHANCE TO EAT MY LEFT OVER PASTAAAAAA!”</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>In the trails of Hunks voice, the wind had stopped and we finally noticed that the creature’s shriek had turned into a familiar laughter. I glanced toward the direction, and there in the very conveniently place light beam were a pair of green converse, slightly </span>
  <span>dirtied</span>
  <span> from the earth below them. Trailing up, I </span>
  <span>was met</span>
  <span> with a pair of knee-high jean overalls covering a green striped shirt and a head of slightly messy auburn hair. A pair of circular glasses covered smile-squinted brown eyes and </span>
  <span>last but not least</span>
  <span>, a shit eating grin plastered across otherwise small features.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“P-Pidge?? What the fuck?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>At the sound of their name, Pidge only smiled wider and lifted a small hand to wave, “Hey guys! What’s up? You look like you’ve seen a ghost or something!”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hunk’s head flipped up and he was on his feet just a moment later, myself following close behind him. His eyes went wide as he quickly loo</span>
  <span>ked between me and Pidge, trying to understand what was happening and process that we were not going to get killed by a one-eyed care taker or cryptid (the latter much to my own disappointment), “P-Pidge! That was you all along?! You scared the quiznak outta me!”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>They only smiled and took a step forward and reached down to pick up our fallen flashlights, handing them back before pulling out their own to turn on, “I’m sorry guys! It was just so easy! I got here late and when I was about to walk up to you </span>
  <span>guys,</span>
  <span> I heard Hunk freaking out over some kind of caretaker and I thought that I would just help the mood out a little bit, you know?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I couldn’t help but glare at my friend, “Not gonna lie…you low key got my hopes up. There’s a rumor about a </span>
  <span>Mothman</span>
  <span> with reflective eyes around this area and I thought that you were it. Now I’m disappointed.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Pidge just threw their head back and let out a loud laugh before looking at me again and smiling, “Are you gonna be pouty Keith now that I ruined your night?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I puffed my cheeks out slightly and crossed my arms, turning away and choosing to glare at a bush that had been giving me dirty looks since we got to the area, “N-No.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Pidge laughed again and turned to Hunk, lightly patting him on the back, “I’m sorry, dude. I didn’t mean to make you piss your pants.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t pee my pants! Seriously Pidge, how did you manage to make the wind go crazy like that all of a sudden? You got some crazy new gadget to show us? Can I study it?? Pleeeeease?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Pidge just held up their hands, “Sorry but that was all mother nature. I thought it was weird too, but it was timed so perfectly that I had to take advantage of it. I do have a new invention at home though! Come over after we are done with this and we can look at it!”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two of them continued their chatter as I continued to scan the tree line, trying to make out strange shapes within the shadows when I saw a small flicker of light between the gaps of the trees. It was just for a moment, but then a small steady glow came to be just after. I unfolded my arms and took a step in the direction of the light, now curious of the source – it was far too small to be a campfire, and no one would be stupid enough to try and camp here, but the way it was moving made it almost certain it was a fire. I turned back to Hunk and Pidge, who were still facing each other and talking about gods knows what that Pidge invented; they wouldn’t notice if I slipped away for a second to get a closer look.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I took a quiet step away, still keeping my eyes on my friends to make sure they didn’t pay me any mind, and when I felt the light brush of leaves against my leg, I turned forward to make my way through the small area of trees and bushes. The light was still there and as I made my way toward it, Hunk and </span>
  <span>Pidge’s</span>
  <span> voices fading away with every step I took. I had probably moved about fifty feet</span>
  <span>, and from this distance I could fully confirm that it was a thick, white pillar candle that was making the flame</span>
  <span>; it was just sitting in the middle of a small clearing.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>What the actual fuck?</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Why was there just a random candle in the middle of </span>
  <span>this area? It’s not even melted down that much so someone must have just lit it recently. I took another step forward to enter the clearing, but the sound of another twig snapping froze me in my spot. Had Pidge and Hunk noticed I was gone and followed me? No, the sound came from the opposite direction, there’s no way it was them. I pulled my leg back where it had been and crouched down slightly, trying to conceal myself in the shadows casted by the trees, silently praising myself for wearing all black. More twigs snapped and drew my attention to the left, where the bushes began to rustle slightly and suddenly a figure emerged. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was tall and skinny and wore a simple pair of blue jeans with holes in the knees, and a baggy dark blue sweatshirt. He was holding two small black containers and was balancing a </span>
  <span>rolled-up</span>
  <span> piece of cloth between the crook of his elbow. He approached the candle and </span>
  <span>knelt down</span>
  <span> when he got close enough, setting the containers in front of him and the cloth next to him on the ground. In the candle light I could make out tan skin and brown hair messily styled to cover his forehead. I could feel my heart beat in my chest as I studied the person farther; watching his careful movements as he slowly sat down on the earth and crossed his legs, placing his hands on his knees before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. I shifted forward slightly to watch him more.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sat there for what seemed like hours, eyes closed and exhaling deeply occasionally.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I could feel the strain in my thighs as I watched him, my curiosity </span>
  <span>getting the better of me even though he was just sitting there. I shifted slightly, my foot slipping beneath me and causing a scrapping sound enter the otherwise quiet area. The man’s eyes snapped open and his head quickly turned in my direction, eyebrows pulled together in confusion as his eyes scanned around. I held my breath and sunk farther back into the shadows, attempting to make myself as small as possible so he would not see me. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a moment he shrugged slightly and turned back to the candle, closing his eyes once again and taking another deep breath. I </span>
  <span>closed my own eyes and </span>
  <span>slowly exhaled the air I had be</span>
  <span>en holding in my lungs. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That was close…</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Spirits of Water, Creatures of the West,” his voice shocked me, making my eyes open and my neck strain upward to watch him as he held his hand over one of the containers, slowly lowering it to dip his ring finger into whatever it contained, “I cast out from you all doubts,” he pulled his finger from the container and quickly shook it to his side before replacing it once again, “all reservations,” again he pulled from the container and repeated the motion, “and all hate.</span>
  <span> In the names of Poseidon and Eurybia so mote it be.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>My eyes widened slightly as I finally understood what the man was doing. Was he serious? </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I watched him as he gently grabbed the other container and set it next to the first; again taking a deep breath as he placed the same finger he dipped into the other container in the second, “Spirits of Earth, Creatures of the North, I fill you with hope, with certainty, with love.” He did the same motion, dipping his finger into the second container with each word, but not shaking his hand to the side this time, “In the names of Poseidon and Eurybia so mote it be.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He picked the second container up and placed it in his left hand, taking whatever the contents were and pinching them between two fingers before </span>
  <span>sprinkling</span>
  <span> whatever it was into the first container, “As the man joins a woman to create a child, as the salt joins the water to create an ocean, </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <span> h</span>
  <span>e</span>
  <span> repeated the motion three times, adding what was apparently salt into what was apparently water, “So we all join with the Universe to become one. </span>
  <span>So</span>
  
  <span>mote</span>
  <span> it </span>
  <span>be</span>
  <span>.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>As he set down the container, he placed his hands back onto his knees and stared forward, the light from the candle spreading across his face in a warm glow. I kept looking at him, studying his sharp jaw line and the curve of his lips, which looked plump from the angle I was seeing him. He sat quietly for a moment before moving to grab the cloth, moving folds to reveal a large mason jar and setting it upright; picking up the water container and pouring in the contents. He was careful not to spill a drop, stopping a few seconds at a time to ensure everything made it into the jar. I continued to watch him as he worked, noting the way his expression never changed from one of pure concentration.</span>
  
</p>
<p> <br/><span>“You know it’s </span><span>kinda</span><span> creepy to watch people from the </span><span>bushes</span><span> right?”</span></p>
<p>
  <span>I felt my heart drop into my stomach at his words and my breath caught in my throat. I continued to just stare at him, terrified to move any part of me and alert him to my location. He had to be joking, there was no way he actually knew I was here. He had to be just saying that to make himself feel better about being in the woods alone. He couldn’t have figured out that I was here. He --</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly his head snapped in my direction and I locked his piercing blue eyed gaze. His emotion never changed across his features as he stared me down, but I could see the small twitch of his eyebrow every few seconds – alerting me that he might be </span>
  <em>
    <span>slightly </span>
  </em>
  <span>angry about being watched and it made a small shiver run down my spine. Maybe if I just kept still and didn’t breathe, he would get bored and leave me be. He sighed and I saw him turn to set the container down, focusing his gaze in front of him once more before he quickly turned back in my direction and made a throwing motion, launching something in my direction. I yelped and fell back to avoid whatever he had thrown and squeezed my eyes shut, waiting to feel the impact of the object. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>When nothing came, I slowly opened my eyes to </span>
  <span>tentatively</span>
  <span> look in his direction, but in front of my face and also obstructing my view of the man, was a small, polished stone. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I blinked and tried to process what my eyes were seeing. The stone was a soft white, but the blue glow surrounding it pulsed slightly as it continued to hover in mid-air just inches from my face. I continued to stare at it when suddenly the bush I had been hiding behind was pulled to the side and the stone dropped softly between my legs, losing the blue glow. My eyes darted up and I was met by the slightly annoyed gaze of the man, heat rising to my cheeks as I was finally able to see him up close. His face was angular, and if it wasn’t for the messy head of hair, would be </span>
  <span>downright</span>
  <span> intimidating. He was a lot taller than I </span>
  <span>originally</span>
  <span> would have guessed as well; his form towered over me, and I felt myself gulp down a small gasp. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He just stood there, staring down at me with </span>
  <span>unwavering</span>
  <span> intensity, almost challenging me to try and talk my way out of the situation.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I-I.</span>
  <span>..I</span>
  <span> uh, I was...” the words refused to connect and I ended up blabbering like a small child. I </span>
  <span>couldn’t</span>
  <span> concentrate on what I was trying to say while under his gaze. He sighed again and took a step back to give me a little space, but </span>
  <span>still keeping</span>
  <span> me in his view. He lifted a hand and ran it through brown locks, “I could have sworn I did the barrier charm correctly. The wind should have cleared anything around...”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wait. Wind?</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I blinked up at him again before my body suddenly snapped back to reality, allowing me to slowly lift myself up and stand before the man, who just watched me with a curious look, “That wind earlier...you caused it?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He crossed his arms, his eyes looking me up and down, “Yeah. It was a barrier charm so I could do my ritual in peace. Doesn’t seem like I did it completely correct though, or else you would have been pulled </span>
  <span>outta</span>
  <span> here instantly.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“B-Barrier charm? Ritual? What the hell are you talking </span>
  <span>about? What</span>
  <span> is going on?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You were </span>
  <span>literally</span>
  <span> watching me do a water blessing from a bush and you’re the one asking me what is going on?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I was slightly taken back at the tone of his voice. He didn’t sound quite angry or as annoyed as he looked – his tone only held a twinge of </span>
  <span>amusement</span>
  <span> and </span>
  <span>curiosity</span>
  <span>. I felt heat rise to my cheeks once again, crossing my own arms and sending him a stern look, “I was walking around with my friends and saw the flame from the candle you lit. That’s all </span>
  <span>it</span>
  <span> was.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>His eyes widened just a fraction and he blinked, “What?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I was here with my friends and I saw the flame of the candle. It’s not that hard to understand.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>His brows furrowed slightly, “I get that, smartass. I meant what do you mean you were here with friends? Why? Are they hiding around here watching me too?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I huffed out a puff of air and leaned my </span>
  <span>weight</span>
  <span> on my back leg, trying to do my best of convincing this guy that I wasn’t </span>
  <span>absolutely</span>
  <span> scared shitless, “No, they’re back toward the entrance. We were uh...” </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I had to pause and try to think of a lie to tell him, because for whatever reason, I cared about what this complete stranger thought of me. I peeked up at him and saw he was looking back at me, an eyebrow raised and a confused frown pulled across his lips, “You were what?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We were...looking for my friend’s dog. He got out of their yard and they said they saw him run into the woods.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Right. Looking for a dog. Because everyone goes out in black skinny jeans and boots at 3AM to look for a dog who got out. Makes total sense.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I scowled at the man, “It’s the truth. These were the first pants and shoes I grabbed when they called. Don’t act like you know anything.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man suddenly took a step toward me, and in reflex I stepped back as well, my back hitting the trunk of one of the surround trees; the light impact making me gasp quietly. He took another step closer, close enough to where I could feel the slight warmth coming off his skin. I stared up at him in shock and felt heat spread across my body as he slowly lifted a long arm above him, leaning slightly to rest his forearm against the bark above my head. His eyes bore into me as I held his gaze, refusing to show any kind of fear.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Has anyone told you it’s not a good idea to piss off a witch?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>His eyes flashed a brighter blue for a moment before returning to their normal shade. I could feel my legs start to shake has I tried to push myself farther back into the tree, but it only made the man move closer to me. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“W-What do you mean ‘a witch’? Y-You? You’re a witch?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What was your first clue, Mullet?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What on earth are you </span>
  <span>talki</span>
  <span>—HEY! What did you call me?!”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man only gave a small laugh and his lips pulled into a </span>
  <span>surprisingly</span>
  <span> soft smile, raising the hand not above my head to lightly touch my hair and play with the strands between two of his fingers, “I called you Mullet. I think it fits you.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I didn’t think my face could get any warmer, but with his words and actions I felt heat travel down my neck and across the rest of my body. I could feel my ears burning and when he smirked slightly, I could tell he at noticed my flushed state. I raised my arms weakly and placed them against his shoulders, giving him a weak shove in an attempt to put some space between us, but it was in vain as he </span>
  <span>barely</span>
  <span> moved. I gave another push and he let out another small chuckle and leaned slightly forward to place his lips next to my ear, his warm breath dusting over my skin and making me </span>
  <span>visibly</span>
  <span> shiver and let out a small gasp. I could feel him smile as he heard the noise.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Ya</span>
  <span> know, I actually knew you had been in that bush from the start; you’re not as quiet as you think. You should never </span>
  <span>interrupt</span>
  <span> a ritual, even one as simple as a water blessing.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>With every word his breath tickled my ear, and </span>
  <span>occasionally</span>
  <span> I could feel his lips brush against my skin, making me shiver and let out small gasps to the point I had to bite my lower lip to keep them from escaping. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What should I do with you since you watched me without my permission? Hm? Maybe I should...” he trailed off quietly as he moved from my ear and ghosted his lips along my jaw line and up my cheek. I bit my lip to keep in any noises to the point I was sure I almost drew blood, but he pulled back just enough to move his lips just over mine. The hand that had been playing with my hair this entire time moved to gently cup my chin, his thumb moving against my lower lip to pull it from between my teeth. His hands were surprisingly soft, and as his thumb continued to move against my </span>
  <span>lip</span>
  <span> I felt myself slowly start to relax against the tree; my hands that were still on his shoulders went slack and stopped trying to push him away. I heard myself let out another small gasp as he stilled his actions and leaned into my ear once again.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Should I hex you?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>My eyes widened and rationality returned to my slightly </span>
  <span>hazy</span>
  <span> mind, </span>
  <span>adrenaline burst through my veins and I was finally able to push him away from me. He only went back a few steps, but it was enough for fresh air to fill my lungs and let me see clearly that he was smirking playfully. I could tell my face was still red (though from </span>
  <span>embarrassment</span>
  <span> or anger I had no idea)</span>
  <span> and I fixed the best glare I could muster at the moment in his direction, “What the hell was that?! </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hex me? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Are you serious?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He only laughed and held his hands up in defense, “Hey man, you’re the one who was watching a witch work without that </span>
  <span>witch's</span>
  <span> permission. </span>
  <span>Gimme</span>
  <span> a reason that I shouldn’t give you some kind of punishment for that.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I felt my heart pound in my chest as the word </span>
  <em>
    <span>punishment </span>
  </em>
  <span>left his mouth. My mouth was opening and closing to try and retort him, but words refused to form once again. Who even was this guy? And why was he making me act like a fucking school girl who was getting attention from her crush?</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I-I-I did nothing wrong! I told you what happened, so why would you </span>
  <span>hex</span>
  <span> me for something that I </span>
  <span>didn’t</span>
  <span> do </span>
  <span>purposefully</span>
  <span>! What </span>
  <span>kind of person would </span>
  <span>frickin</span>
  <span>’ </span>
  <span>hex</span>
  <span> another person for something like that? Seriously I--”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>My words stopped when he suddenly stepped back into my space and grabbed my shoulders and leaned in, letting his lips brush against mine for moment before pulling back. His hands were still on my shoulders but he just stared, eyes scanning for a moment before settling on my own and giving me another smile, “I had to think of a way to make you be quiet so I could explain myself, and you’re cute enough so I thought that this would be a perfect way.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>My brain had </span>
  <span>officially</span>
  <span> stopped working.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He had barely made any contact, but it still left my lips burning for more. Every fiber of my being was urging me to grab him by the back of the neck and kiss him once more, but the fact that I had only met this guy ten minutes ago and knew nothing about him other than he was </span>
  <span>apparently a</span>
  <span> witch and he did rituals in the middle of the woods. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>don’t</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> even know his name. </span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He must </span>
  <span>have</span>
  <span> taken my silence as a que to </span>
  <span>explain, because</span>
  <span> he let his lands slip off my shoulders and down to my biceps, letting the heat from his palms soak into my skin. The feeling was </span>
  <span>almost </span>
  <span>to</span>
  <span> much. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m a Water witch. I work primarily with water and use magic to enhance waters natural abilities and help heal others with the spell jars I make with blessed water. I use my abilities to heal others and am firmly against using any of my powers to </span>
  <span>hex</span>
  <span> someone or hurt someone. I was seriously just teasing you when I said I would </span>
  <span>hex</span>
  <span> you – like you said, you </span>
  <span>haven’t</span>
  <span> done </span>
  <span>nearly enough</span>
  <span> for someone to want to do that to you. I just wanted to tease you a little bit, I promise.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>As he </span>
  <span>explained</span>
  <span> himself, part me relaxed with knowing he </span>
  <span>wasn’t</span>
  <span> seriously going to </span>
  <span>hex</span>
  <span> me, but part of me wanted to know more about what he was talking about and more about him in general. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Like his name.</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“</span>
  </em>
  <span>To be </span>
  <span>honest when</span>
  <span> you first said you were out here with your friends, I thought you were </span>
  <span>gonna</span>
  <span> say that you all were out here trying to find that </span>
  <span>Mothman</span>
  <span> thing everyone’s been posting about online. I mean why else would you be out here in the middle of the night?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I just blinked up at him and tried to hide the </span>
  <span>horrified</span>
  <span> expression I knew was coming across my face. He only looked back down at me before slowly raising an eyebrow, “Wait a sec, is that what you were doing...?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I wanted to run and hide. I wanted to be as far away from this situation as physically possible. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as he just continued to look at me in confusion. I needed to get out of here before he started to make fun of me like everyone else did. He was going to think I was a freak, or a whack job, or a loser and for some odd reason, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I CARED. </span>
  </em>
  <span>I had never thought twice about letting someone know that I believed in cryptids, and have never cared if they thought I was crazy or a nerd. But for whatever reason I cared about what this man who I had known for next to nothing thought about what I did for fun. What the </span>
  <span>ever loving</span>
  <span> fuck was going on with me right now? </span>
  <em>
    <span>I DON’T KNOW HIS NAME.</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>A small chuckle ripped me from my spiral as I watched him bloom into full blown laughter. My heart sank as he dropped his head to look away from me so he could continue laughing, and again all I wanted to do was run, but his hands that still rested on my arms prevented me from doing so, “I-If you’re going to make fun of me for cryptid hunting, just let go of my arms so I can find my friends and leave.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>All laughter stopped and he lifted his head to look at me with a sad expression, “Oh Gods, I wasn’t laughing at you! I promise! I was laughing because you’re just to fucking cute and when you pretty much confirmed you were cryptid hunting, it made you so much more adorable holy shit.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>My ears must still be ringing from my mini panic attack. Or the amount of blood that just rushed out of my head to other places in my body. Or he could have been lying and already put a hex on me because I could have </span>
  <span>sworn</span>
  <span> he just--</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“D-Did you just call me cute?” my voice came out quiet and unsure, like if I spoke to </span>
  <span>loud</span>
  <span> he would be scared off and I would never see him again. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He only shrugged and smiled, “Uh, yeah. I did. Is that a problem?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t even know me? And five minutes ago you were jumping down my throat because you found me watching your ritual?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Again, he just shrugged, “Is it weird to think a stranger is cute? Isn’t that like </span>
  <span>ninety</span>
  <span>-five percent of rom-com couples? And as far as you watching me goes, it honestly didn’t make me that mad. I was just more surprised than anything else.” He raised a hand to rub at the back of his neck, “Maybe the flying stone was a little much?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I couldn’t hold in the small laugh at escaped me, his eyes going wide at the sound, “Heh, yeah. Just a little. I thought you were actually going to try and hit me with something.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It would have never hit you to begin with. I put some of the water I had just blessed on the stone and put a quick locating charm in it. As soon as it found </span>
  <span>its</span>
  <span> target, it stops! Pretty cool, right?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was all smiles again as he talked about his spells, and the sight was enough to my insides stir. As he spoke, I studied him some more and came to the conclusion that he was extremely handsome, even if he was kind of a prick. But the way he spoke was filled with passion about what he had been doing, and the way it made him light up made him just that more attractive. I could feel myself relax once more – and being relaxed made me very aware of his hands trailing down and up my arms, his thumbs moving in some pattern that seemed to soothe me even more. I could feel my eyes slowly starting to droop as the feeling made me almost sleepy...</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, you’re not </span>
  <span>gonna</span>
  <span> pass </span>
  <span>out</span>
  <span> are you? You look like you’re </span>
  <span>gonna</span>
  <span> drop at any moment.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>My eyes snapped open and I looked up at him. His eyes reflected a look of amusement back at me and I felt warm travel up the back of my neck, “N-No. I just felt sleepy all of a sudden. It is the middle of the night if you haven’t forgotten.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aw, am I boring you that much with all my witchy talk? I would have thought a cryptid hunter like you would be eating all this information up.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just because I am a cryptid hunter doesn’t mean I automatically </span>
  <span>wanna</span>
  <span> know about everything out of the ordinary...” I peeked up at him again and sighed quietly, “And you’re not boring me.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He perked up and gave me a small smile, “Oh? Do you </span>
  <span>wanna</span>
  <span> know more?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, sure?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>His smile suddenly turned </span>
  <span>mischievous</span>
  <span>, “Okay, but before I tell you all my trade secrets you </span>
  <span>gotta</span>
  <span> give me two things.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I raised an eyebrow and sent him a questioning look. What two things could I possibly give him? I left my pack back where Hunk and Pidge were and I didn’t have anything on me except my pocket knife and some change from when I paid for my dinner </span>
  <span>earlier</span>
  <span>. He only continued to smiled down at me before suddenly ducking down and pressing his lips against mine once again.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I felt my eyes go wide and my heart thundered in my ears as all rational thought flew to the wind. His lips were soft against my slightly chapped ones and while the kiss was gentle, there was a promised power behind it that was slightly intimidating. He only kept his lips on mine for a moment more before pulling back slightly, a small chuckle escaping him that tickled my lips and sent physical chills up mine spine. My heart and my brain were on the verge of short circuiting as I fought every fiber from pulling him back in once again.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Heh, sorry. I just really wanted to do that aga--!”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he gave a small lop-sided grin, whatever thread of self-control I had left snapped as I reached up to </span>
  <span>cup</span>
  <span> the back of his neck and pull his lips back to mine in a bruising kiss. My eyes had closed, but I could feel how tense he was and knew that I had completely caught him off guard, but only a moment later I could feel his lips begin to move back against mine. I heard myself groan quietly as he moved his hands from my arms to wrap them around my waist, pulling me closer and flush against his lean body. I could feel his heart hammering against his chest and it made me feel better to know he was just as messed up about this as I was. </span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Without warning he parted his lips slightly to run his tongue along my bottom lip in a silent question. It made me internally scream as my own lips parted without hesitation, allowing the kiss to only get deeper. The hand that was on the back of his neck moved slightly to thread itself through soft brown locks as I moved my other arm to wrap around his neck as well, pulling him even closer(if it was even physically possible to do so) and letting him completely dominate the kiss. I gasped slightly as I felt his tongue enter my mouth and shyly move against my own, like he was testing the waters about what I would let him do. I gasped at the contact and met him halfway with more enthusiasm then I meant to show, moving slightly to take his bottom lip between my teeth and give a small bite as I moved to pull away and catch my breath.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>We were both panting and I would bet anything that my face was scarlet right now, but when I opened my eyes just enough to look up at him, I felt a strange rush of pride at what I saw. His lips were slightly swollen and I could see the dusting of color across his cheeks, his eyes were lidded as well but even so I could tell that the color had darken and his gaze seemed much more heated.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry ‘bout that...”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>My voice was thick, like I was trying to speak after just eating honey or something, and the moment it met his ears his eyes opened all the way to reveal blown pupils, “Sorry about what?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That I kissed you again like that.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He ran a hand up and down my spine, stopping to rest his palm against the small of my back; the heat from the touch was calming and the gentle pressure was enough to tell me he didn’t want me to move from our current positions, “In no way, shape or form</span>
  <em>
    <span> ever </span>
  </em>
  <span>need to apologize for doing something like that. To be honest I thought you were </span>
  <span>gonna</span>
  <span> punch me when I kissed you the first time and thought for sure with the second time but then you kissed me a third time and it was very pleasant and the only thing that is stopping me from doing it again and </span>
  <em>
    <span>more</span>
  </em>
  <span> is the fact that I don’t know your name but I can </span>
  <span>completely</span>
  <span> understand if you don’t want to give a stranger who you just met your name and--”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s Keith.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>We did</span>
  <span> just </span>
  <span>kinda</span>
  <span> have a serious make out session and—wait, what?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I raised an eyebrow and </span>
  <span>shifted</span>
  <span> my arms that were still wrapped around his neck, “My name. It’s Keith, and yours?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He blinked </span>
  <span>rapidly</span>
  <span>, clearing away some of the arousal that was still </span>
  <span>prevalent</span>
  <span> in his gaze, “Oh, the name’s Lance,” He </span>
  <span>smirked and</span>
  <span> lowered his voice, “Make sure you remember it.”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>I scoffed and returned his slightly </span>
  <span>challenging look, “It’s not like it’s a hard name to remember. Why do you have to remind me to remember it?”</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>In an instant his hands were gone from around my waist, and he had reached up to grab my raised arms to pin them just above my head. I gasped and looked up to where his large hands were encasing my wrists before looking back at him, my eyes widening at the look of want that had smeared itself across his features. He continued to smirk as he leaned in toward my ear and let out a small chuckle that sent small sparks of excitement all over my body.</span>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Because it’s the name you’re </span>
  <span>gonna</span>
  <span> be screaming later, </span>
  <span>“ he</span>
  <span> paused, “If you’ll have me, of course.”</span>
  
</p>
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